Changing your hairstyle may be a small act, but it completely transforms your appearance. As we age, we want our style to evolve, too, but maturity doesn’t have to mean embracing traditional ‘age-appropriate’ hairstyles. A new hairstyle might be precisely what you need to stay looking fabulously young, and we’ve collected 19 of the best.
Sleek Shoulder-Length Trim
If you favor a straight hairstyle, cutting your hair to shoulder length can help keep things flattering. This hair length looks excellent because it frames the face and neck without overpowering your features. You should generously condition your straight hairstyle and consider using a hair oil or mask to keep it sleek, styled, and frizz-free.
Loose Waves
A favorite of celebrities like Jennifer Anniston, Amy Adams, and Christie Brinkley, loose waves are one of the best hairstyles for older women. Straight hair is often aging because it makes your face look longer and highlights any hair thinning. Loose waves offer volume and texture and give your face some age-defying dimension.
Side-Swept Bangs
Older women who want to lighten their long hair without cutting it all off should try side-swept bangs. According to hair experts Luxy Hair, side bangs are the best bangs for an aging face because they stop hair from falling flat and draw attention to the eyes. That way, you get some flattering volume without an extreme change of hairstyle.
Ultra-Long Layers
Layered hair has face-framing powers, but the length of the layers plays a massive part in how aging a hairstyle is. Ultra-long layers may be subtle, but they’re effective and offer a youthful appearance. They fall naturally into place, giving hair more bounce and taking off some of the weight without making it look thin.
Voluminous Curls
Pretty much everyone looks great with big curls because they’re so bouncy and playful and have fabulous youthful connotations. Straightening your natural curls adds years onto your face because the hair lies flatly, and often dully, against your face. Voluminous curls lift your features, disguising the edges of your face to create a naturally tousled look.
Textured Bob
Bobs are an interesting hairstyle because the wrong cut can be incredibly aging. However, they’ve come back into fashion with a bang. Celebrity hairstylist George Northwood champions the textured bob for women over forty, calling it ‘anti-mumsy’. The choppy silhouette rests delicately and has the added benefit of needing very little maintenance.
Deep Side Part
Though the middle parting is a classic, it often doesn’t flatter older women because it exposes the hair roots and hangs limply down, with no lift at the crown of the head. On the other hand, a deep side part makes you look years younger, giving your face a rounder look and separating your features harmoniously.
Beachy Balayage
If you want to experiment with color, try a balayage style over an ombre because it doesn’t grow out as quickly and looks much more subtle. Combined with beachy waves, a balayage helps lighten features and reduce shadows, which gives the face a younger appearance. Choosing a trendy look will also keep your hairstyle looking fresh rather than dated.
Curtain Bangs
Curtain hairstyles may have old-fashioned connotations, but the younger generation has well and truly reclaimed curtain bangs. Blunt bangs are hard to pull off because they draw all attention to the middle of the face, but curtain bangs offer a much softer look that accentuates your features without over-exposing them.
Loose Braids
Tighter hairstyles can often look a little severe, especially as your features sharpen as you age. Luckily, loose braids are a flattering alternative for those with longer hair, and they’re easy to style at home. Popularly known as ‘pancaking’, loosening your braids makes your hair look fuller and helps them softly frame your face.
Asymmetrical Bob
Very long hair elongates your face, emphasizing drooping features, which is something you want to avoid as you age. An asymmetrical bob is a stylish solution to this problem. Hairstylist Daniel Koye recommends it for older women because it makes the eye scan vertically, chiseling the face with a youthful edge that defines the features.
Two-Tone Highlights
Coloring your hair is a great way to fight aging, but just one color often means no dimension. Two-tone highlights can be as subtle or bold as you like. Going too light or dark can wash you out, so aim for warmer shades of brown and blond, then style them in a way that flatters your face shape.
Messy Bun
Hardly anybody looks good with a tight bun because it draws so much attention to the face, but it can look particularly matronly on older women. Luckily, you don’t need to be a teenager to embrace the messy bun. Pulling your hair up smoothes out the face, but a messy bun avoids the aging, slicked-back look.
Face-Framing Wisps
Hair wisps are called baby hairs for a reason: we associate them with youth. If you typically wear your hair up, consider incorporating face-framing wisps to soften the look, especially if it is severely slicked back. You can tease out longer strands or use a spoolie to style shorter wisps and achieve an edgier look.
Midi Flick Haircut
The midi flick is a gorgeous callback to the fluffy 90s blow-dry, combining a long bob with flicked-up ends for a softly shaping, volumizing look. According to Evo International creative director Tom Smith, the midi flick preserves thickness for an ultra-feminine, airy style, which women of all ages can pull off.
Chin-Length Waves
You don’t need long hair to take advantage of anti-aging loose waves. Chin-length hair can make your face look harsh if it isn’t styled well, but gently tousled waves add a bit of definition to an otherwise very short haircut. A choppier style is effortlessly elegant and much more flattering on the features.
Low Ponytail
A ponytail is an easy hairstyle that you can throw together for a minimum-effort look that also helps you shed a few years. Pulling your hair back into a ponytail acts as a mini facelift, tightening your features and framing your eyes. The low ponytail prioritizes elegance while also retaining a sense of maturity.
Curly Bob
You’re never too old to embrace a cute hairstyle, and that’s exactly why a curly bob is an excellent choice for women of all ages. Bouncy ringlets help accentuate specific facial features and soften your angles for a younger look. Curly bobs are also versatile because they work with tight ringlets, chunky spirals, and tousled curls.
Choppy Pixie Cut
Pixie cuts may be short, but they can still enhance your features without aging you. A choppy pixie cut offers you some height at the crown of your head, avoiding the slicked-back matronly look that sometimes comes with the pixie cut. You can also style out your bangs or brush your hair to one side to isolate your features.
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